GPIB: 24-pin Centronix connectors?

Yes. I have a whole tray of 60 surplus AMP 552740-1 24 pin PC mount on hand.

"Joerg" a écrit dans le message de news: 9FB3l.3539$ snipped-for-privacy@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com...

Hi Joerg, Use ours, it is more compact than Prologix's ;+) :

Hi,

Your product is interesting. Especially the emulation software.

Does that software only work with your product? Or also with a NI USB-GPIB? Is it possible to set up a HP35665A or a HP 3562A lf spectrum analyser so it can plot directly to the computer? Those devices already know the plotrter language. Does the PC emulate a plotter and save it as jpg/bmp?

P.

Forgot to ask one more thing: can those plotter tools run at the same time my application (Delphi, I rewrote to oldfashioned and badly documented NI library to an object-oriented one) is running? Or will things get mixed up?

P.

"P." a écrit dans le message de news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Hello P, As other USB/GPIB products, the smart488 is basically emulating a serial port on the PC side, although there isn't any actual serial port anywhere. In its basic mode, meaning with only one GPIB equipment connected, it allows a fully transparent dialog between the PC (bus controller) and the equipment (talker/listener). Anytime you send something to the virtual serial port the interface will switch the equipement to listener and send it the data, then will switch it back to talker and will transfer to your application through the virtual serial port any data sent by the equipment. A command mode allows to manage more than one slave. It was of course not tested with all GPIB devices on earth but work well with old HP devices (8569, 8563, 3585, ...), Lecroy scopes, etc. On the PC side it was tested with KE5FX's plotter emulator (in device initiated mode) as well as with HP's Benchlink software. It also works with any langage able to talk to a serial port (VB, VC++, Python, Labview, etc), but is not compatible with NI libraries. Of course only one application at a time can preempt the serial port and use the interface. See FAQ here

The link times out right now. Anyhow, I already bought it since it seems to be the only one available in the US.

Thanks, I'll check that out.

Thanks, Mike. I'll have to get solder cup versions though.

If you have an FTDI chip in there the DLL for that also supports direct access via USB, without serial port emulation. Still, I would never give up the COM emulation because nothing is simple and easier than to talk to a device via a terminal program.

I might have a few from scrapped HP medical equipment. They are the right connector, but were used between cabinets in an old patient alarm system I scrapped for the cases for bench power supplies.

"Joerg" a écrit dans le message de news: s2Q3l.10710$x%. snipped-for-privacy@nlpi070.nbdc.sbc.com...

No we don't use FTDI, the smart488 is a monochip PIC-based device. A virtual serial port profile is used for convenience, but there isn'"t any serial port inside...

Agreed !

Friendly, Robert

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snipped-for-privacy@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com...

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I don't see a US distributor.

What manufacturer/device IDs do you use? Is it a generic serial gizmo or do I need a special driver?

Does it work with Linux? (Perhaps after I add a line or two to some table.)

I know exactly what you mean - mine has the same problem. How about something like this?:

"Hal Murray" a écrit dans le message de news: Ie2dnQDU1q7pMc3UnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@megapath.net...

Ours.

No specific driver is needed, it is working with the generic usbser driver. An .inf file is only required under Windows for plug&play detection as usual.

Yes, no problem, no need for driver or config files at all. Linux is more plug&play than Windows when talking about virtual serial ports ;+)

Cheers, Robert

I am now using a NI USB-GPIB. And am using Delphi to control it. Is your device acessible in the same way?

I have worked on embedded SDLC communication devices, with manuals, communication doc and especially well defined OSI layers. That last point, OSI layers, is something I really miss with the NI software. You can jump everywhere and do all kinds of calls on all levels, but there is no real description what you should build. It can only be found by looking through examples. And I even found an error in the original NI Delphi (probably present in the C version as well) software that will make one call not work correctly, giving stack and heap problems. I fixed it, and the call now works.

How must your device be programmed? Look like the NI. Or must we build things ourselves?

And is there somwhere a decent manual on a "GPIB how to"?

P.

"P." a écrit dans le message de news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

You can control a device like the smart488 interface from Delphi, but NOT through NI USB-GPIB libraries. You will just need to use the serial port access routines provided by Delphi. In transparent mode (only one equipment connected) you will directly talk to your instrument. If you need more complex features then you will use a Hayes-compatible standard protocol (+++, AT+ADDR=12, ATO, etc), see manual.

Cheers, Robert

That would make it even worse, by about 1" in extra length. I just want to solder cable onto a solder-cupped 24-pin Centronix and come out sideways, then 3-4ft to some location where the Prologix can comfortably reside.

I wonder if the twists in CAT5 would mess up the signals when using each pair for two data lines. We'll see. After all, GPIB is really slow.

Hi Joerg,

I thought you were going to rotate the USB connector in the Prologix adapter? I take it the idea here is that you solve the problem once and for all regardless of which GPIB adapter you're using?

Maybe you just need a deeper workbench? :-)

I'd put money on GPIB not caring at all if you extend it 3-4' using CAT5.

---Joel

Why not use ribbon cable? Connectors are readily available.